Takumi-kun Series: Drama – Series Review & Episode Guide

Takumi is a second-year student at Shido Gakuin High School. This elite all-boys boarding school was built in the early Showa period. It was once reserved for sons of prominent families. Now, students from ordinary backgrounds can attend as well. Admission requires passing a strict entrance exam, and all enrolled students wear light blue school uniforms on campus.

During his first year, Takumi struggled to fit in. His shy nature, awkward habits, and fear of germs made him a social pariah. Other students teased him, and their name-calling damaged his confidence. In his second year, Gii became Takumi's new roommate. Gii, the son of a wealthy CEO, was confident and independent. He never judged Takumi despite his poor reputation at school. Gii quickly fell in love with Takumi. After confessing his feelings, they began dating.

Gii is affectionate and often says "I love you" to Takumi, even during class. Takumi is shy and unsure how to handle the attention. Soon, other students notice their closeness. Rumours spread about their relationship. Some mock Takumi, claiming he has sex with Gii whenever they are alone. Although partially true, these comments upset Takumi, making him withdraw socially. Gii remains unfazed and continues to show his love openly.

Takabayashi is another student at the school. He once had feelings for Gii and confessed to him. After being rejected, they stayed friends and sometimes shared personal thoughts. Takabayashi is secretly in love with his roommate, Yoshizawa. Although Yoshizawa likes him too, he misunderstands Takabayashi's closeness with Gii and holds back from confessing his feelings.

My first impression of Takumi-kun Series: Drama is that it feels extremely dated. Not in a cool retro way, but in a sad pitiful way. The cheesy theme song, cheap uniforms, and cringy dialogue all feel painfully uncool. The elite all-boys school setting also seems old-fashioned, similar to early 2000s BL franchises like Gakuen Heaven. If you look at the hottest teen dramas in 2025, they resemble nothing like this series. Takumi-kun doesn't remind me of a modern BL story. It's embarrassingly out of touch with current trends.

Takumi-kun began as an old novel series from the 1990s. It expanded into many volumes and six live-action movies over the years. I had heard of it but never watched any of the adaptations. With no prior knowledge, I started the 2025 version, hoping to discover what made it special. Instead, the first episode confused me right away because it didn't introduce the characters clearly. The story began in the middle, as if everybody already had a shared history. None of it was explained to new viewers. I wondered if I needed to watch all six movies to follow along, so the lack of context frustrated me deeply.

There are too many characters crammed into this six-episode drama. New faces keep appearing, but I can't tell who they are or why they matter. The series is less than three hours long, yet it tries to cover four separate romances. It fails miserably, turning each storyline into a jumbled mess. Instead of enjoying a coherent narrative, I felt like I was watching Love Island. I was busy keeping track of all the couples, the bombshell villains, and the random single people. At first, I struggled to follow the plot. And then, I just stopped caring because it wasn't worth the effort.

All four romances are poorly written, and the main couple is the worst of them. We never see Takumi and Gii fall in love. They're already dating when the story begins, skipping the entire buildup of their relationship. Gii is also a toxic boyfriend. He repeats "I love you" so often that it turns into love bombing. The phrase loses its meaning because he never backs it up with genuine actions. Instead, he uses these words to pressure Takumi into physical affection. In Episode 2, each "I love you" feels manipulative, as Gii pushes for kisses and intimacy even when Takumi is uneasy.

Of all its flaws, the worst part of Takumi-kun is the sexual assault. In Episode 5, Gii forces himself on Takumi in the bedroom. Takumi resists, tells him to stop, and looks terrified. Gii ignores him and continues until Takumi gives in. I was disgusted by Gii's actions and angry at how the story presents his coercion as romantic. The series is morally bankrupt and has twisted values, failing to acknowledge that Gii did anything wrong in this moment. My soul dies a little after watching Takumi-kun. I can't believe I must exist in the same universe as this nasty and ignorant BL drama.

And finally: dead brother incestuous rape. Yes, the story decides that would be a part of Takumi's tragic background. Please return me to the timeline where I never watched Takumi-kun or heard about brotherly molestation. Overall, this remake is horrendous. In case it isn't obvious, I hated almost everything. The actors did their best, I guess. Mostly, I feel sorry they had to tie their names to this mess. It just baffles me that Takumi-kun Series: Drama even got made. How could anyone look at the script, shoot the scenes, edit the clips, and still want to release this utter disaster?